Tape dispenser



Oct. 27, 1959 G. W.IEMMERT EI'AL TAPE DISPENSER Filed Sept. 22. 1955 GEORGE LB W. EMMERT, A ERT SAFIANOFF BY M fix,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent TAPE DISPENSER George W. Emmert, Winnetka, and Albert Safianolf, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Federal Tool Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 22, 1955, Serial No. 535,954

6 Claims. (Cl. 225-25) vide a compact dispensing apparatus for containing a roll of pressure sensitive tape of the type mentioned above,

wherein the tape may be selectively withdrawn from the roll in any desired length along a line or path substantially parallel to the axis of the roll, thereby providing dispensing means ideally suited to be mounted upon a supporting surface, with the roll of tape in a position parallel to that surface. This disposition of the roll of tape, wholly unlike that found in prior devices, permits the dispenser to be of a relatively flat construction that occupies a minimum of space and is suitable for mounting upon a wall. When the dispenser is so mounted, the tape is withdrawn therefrom in a convenient and substantially horizontal path leading directly away from the wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a tape dispenser of the character just stated, means for cutting the withdrawn length of tape and maintaining a part of the remaining tape in an unobstructed and bridged position where it can be easily grasped in the lingers and pulled when another length of tape is to be withdrawn from the dispenser. Still another object of the invention is to provide a simplified dispenser of the above kind which encloses and maintains the roll of tape in a sanitary condition, and wherein the dispenser is of two piece construction suitable for molding from synthetic organic thermoplastic resins, such as polystyrene.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the front of a wall-type tape dispenser constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispenser, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 22 in Fig; 1, a roll of tape and the path followed by the tape as it is withdrawn from the roll and from the dispenser, being shown by broken lines;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the dispenser with a substantial portion of the cover thereof broken away to show the disposition of the parts of the dispenser within the casing; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2, the path followed by the tape, a's it is withdrawn from the dispenser, again being shown in broken lines.

The dispenser illustrated in the drawing comprises a casing of two-piece construction having a back wall portion and a cover 11, both of which may be molded ofany suitable synthetic organic resin, such as polystyrene. The back wall portion 10 of the casing comprises a rear wall 12 having a pair of openings 13 provided therein with radially extending slots 14 for receiving screws 15, by means of which the wall portion may be secured at any desired location upona vertical wall 16.- As shown in the drawing, the back wall 12 has a generally triangular configuration, with its side edges converging toward each other from the upper end of the wall toward the lower end. Integrally formed upon the back wall along its upper edge, and also along its convergent side edges, there is a forwardly directed flange 17, the corners of this flange at the upper corners of the back wall being pleasingly rounded at 17a, as best seen in Fig. 3. The two lower ends of the flange 17 are provided with forwardly directed extensions 18a and 18b that are joined along their lower edges by a web 19. As best seen in Figs. 2 and 4, these extensions converge toward each other and extend forwardly and then upwardly, the web 19 curving upwardly with the upward curve of the extensions.

At its forwardmost extremity the web 19 is provided with a block 20 formed integrally therewith having a plain, flat, hard Surface 21 thereon terminating at its forward end in a serrated or toothed tape severing edge 22, the block being integral at its opposite ends with the forwardmost portions of the extensions 18a and 1812.

A hub 23 having a hollow cylindrical core 24 is formed integrally upon the forward side of the back wall 12 at the upper central portion of the wall. This hub 23 ex;

hub 23 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 26 so as to permit the body of the hub radially to expand or contract for a reason that will be made apparent presently. I I i The cover member 11 is provided with a front wall 27 that has formed on its rear side a cylindrical plug-like member 28 adapted to be received within the hollow core 24 of the hub 23 in a sliding, relatively tight fit so as to retain the cover on the dispenser when the cover is installed thereon in the manner :best seen in Fig. 2.. To this end, the front wall 27 of the dispenser is provided along its upper edge and along its side edges with a rearwardly extending flange 29 that is provided with a notched rearward edge adapted to fit in an innerlocking manner with a correspondingly notched configuration on the forward edge 17b of the flange 17. For decorative purposes, the cover 11 may also have a forwardly extending flange 30 along its upper edge and along its side edges as shown in the drawing. The cover 11 terminates at its lower end at a position above the forwardly directed extensions 18a and 18b on the inner flange 17, and the lower edge of the cover is provided with an upwardly extending opening 31 located directly rearwardly of the block 20 that is provided on the forward extremity of the extensions 18a and 1812.

A tape guide finger, designated generally by the numeral 32, is formed upon the forward side of the back wall 12 within the casing to the rear and somewhat above the level of the block 20", as best seen in Fig. 2. This finger is preferably U-shaped in cross-section to conserve material, and has a portion 33 extending forwardly from the back wall 12 and a second portion 34 extending laterally therefrom and located radially of the periphery of the roll 25. The rear edge surface 35 of the laterally extending portion 34 of the finger is rounded and extends along a longitudinally straight line substantially parallel to the plane of the back Wall 12 and, thus, at a right angle to the axis of the roll of tape 25, the line of the Patented Oct. 27, 1959' rear edge surface 35 also being substantially parallel to the hard surface 21 provided on the block 20 at the forward extremity of the extensions 18a and 18b.

The tape in the roll 25 may be of any of the well known types of pressure sensitive adhesive tape having one side of the tape coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive material and with the other side of the tape plain and uncoated, the tape being wound on the roll with its adhesive side facing inwardly. As shown in the drawing, the tape is fed tangentially from the periphery of the roll t5 in a first path 36 leading substantially parallel to the wall 12 and toward the finger 32, the tape being twisted longitudinally through 90 as itmoves through this path so that its uncoated surface crosses the rounded rear edge surface 35 of the finger 32. The uncoated side of the tape is thus free to ride across the rear edge surface 35 of the finger, whereupon the lined path of the tape is changed substantially 90 degrees and thetape is directed forwardly from the finger in a second path 36a through the opening 31 at the lower edge of the cover 11 and across the block 20, with the adhesive coated side of the tape facing the hard surface 21 on top of the block.

Withdrawal of the tape in the manner and along the paths just described may be accomplished merely by gripping the outermost end of the tape in the fingers and by pulling thereon. When a desired length of tape has been withdrawn in this manner, the tape is pulled downwardly across the serrated severing edge 22 on the forwardmost extremity of the block 20, as shown in Fig. 2. This severs the outermost portion of the tape along the severing edge and at the same time brings the remaining end of the tape forcefully into contact with the hard surface 21 of the block 20, thereby causing the tape adhesively to adhere to the hard surface 21 and thus retain the inner segment of tape in a relatively taut, bridged fashion along the path 36a and across the unobstructed space between the lower end of the cover 11 and the block 20. This remaining bridged portion of the tape is thus adhesively retained in a readily accessible positionwhere it can easily be grasped in the fingers preparatory to pulling out another length of tape. a

When the tape in the roll 25 has been exhausted, the cover 11 may be quickly removed from the dispenser merely by pulling outwardly on the cover, whereupon a new roll of tape may be mounted upon the hub 23. The loose end of the new roll of tape may be quickly and conveniently threaded behind the rounded rear edge surface 35 of the finger 32 and may then be led across the block 20 where the adhesive coated side of the tape will maintain the tape in its bridged fashion across the space between the guide finger 32 and the block 20, as shown in the drawing. The cover 11 may then be reinstalled on the casing with the rearwardly extending plug-like member 28 on the back side of the cover being received within the hollow core 24 of the hub 23, the slot 26 in the hub permitting the hub to expand slightly to receive the plug-like member in a friction fit and thereby retain the cover in its installed position.

It will readily be noted that the two-piece construction of the dispenser is so arranged that each of the parts may be readily molded of inexpensive synthetic organic resin or the like, the back wall 11 being provided at its lower end with an opening 37, if desired, through which asuitable core in the mold may be withdrawn after the finger 32 and the construction comprising the forwardly extending projections 18a and 18b, as well as the web 19 and the block 20, have been formed.

As previously stated, the present dispenser is of relatively flat construction. This is permitted by the fact that the roll of tape lies in the dispenser in a position parallel to the Wall 16 upon which the dispenser is mounted. The line of withdrawal of the tape, however, is substantially parallel to the axis of the roll and thus leads directly away from the wall. This renders the present 4 dispenser ideal for wall mounting in a kitchen, for example, where the housewife will have at her disposal a readily available supply of tape which may be obtained by her in desired lengths merely by pulling outwardly on the tape from the Wall supported dispenser.

The foregoing description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be implied therefrom, for it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations may be made in the present dispenser without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A dispensing device for pressure sensitive adhesive tape of the type having an adhesive coating on one of its sides and a non-adhesive surface on its other side comprising, a wall, means for rotatably supporting a roll of said tape on a forward side of said wall about an axis substantially normal to the plane of said wall, an element providing a planar hard surface spaced forwardly of the plane of said wall and substantially parallel to the axis of said roll, said hard surface terminating at its forward extremity in a tape cutting edge, a stationary tape guide member disposed intermediate said hard surface and said wall, said tape guide member being spaced radially from the periphery of said roll and being spaced from said hard surface, and a longitudinally straight rear edge surface on said guide member extending along a line substantially parallel to the plane of said hard surface and at an angle with respect to the axis of said roll, said tape being adapted to be withdrawn under tension from the periphery of said roll in a path first leading substantially parallel to said wall to said guide member, then about said rear edges of said guide member with the non-adhesive surface of said tape sliding over said edge surface of said guide member to change the lineal direction of the path of said tape substantially degrees, and then forwardly from said guide member in a path substantially parallel to the axis of said roll and leading above said hard surface with the adhesive coated side of said tape directed toward said hard surface, said hard surface being so positioned that said coated side of said tape will detachably adhere thereto when the withdrawn length of tape is moved into severing contact with said cutting edge, the adherence of said coated side of said tape to said hard surface serving to maintain a portion of said tape in a bridged condition across the space between said guide member and said hard surface where the bridged portion of said tape may easily be grasped in the fingers when another length of tape is to be withdrawn from said roll.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, including detachable cover means cooperating with said wall for enclosing said roll and the portion of the path of said tape leading from said roll to said tape guide member.

3. A dispensing device for pressure sensitive adhesive tape of the type having an adhesive coating on one of its sides and a non-adhesive surface on its other side comprising, means for supporting a roll of said tape for rotation about a fixed axis, an element providing a planar hard surface disposed forwardly of and substantially normal to the plane of rotation of said roll, a tape cutting edge forwardly of said hard surface, a stationary tape guide member spaced radially from the periphery of said roll and spaced rearwardly of said hard surface, and a longitudinally straight rear edge surface on said guide member extending along a line substantially parallel to the plane of said hard surface and at an angle with respect to the axis of said roll, said tape being adapted to be withdrawn under tension from the periphery of said roll in a path first leading tangentially from said roll to said guide member, then about said guide member with the non-adhesive surface of said tape sliding over said edge surface of said guide member to change the lineal direction of the path of said tape substantially 90 degrees, and then forwardly from said guide member in a path above said hard surface with the adhesive coated side of said tape directed toward said hard surface, said hard surface being so positioned that said coated side of said tape will detachably adhere thereto when the withdrawn length of tape is moved into severing contact with said cutting edge, the adherence of said coated side of said tape to said hard surface serving to maintain a portion of said tape in a bridged condition across the space between said guide member and said hard surface where the bridged portion of said tape may easily be grasped in the fingers when another length of tape is to be withdrawn from said roll.

4. A dispensing device for pressure sensitive adhesive tape of the type having an adhesive coating on one of its sides and a non-adhesive surface on its other side comprising, a casing including a rear wall, a hub on the forward side of said wall for supporting a roll of said tape within said casing for rotation about an axis normal to the plane of the wall, a tape guide finger on said wall projecting forwardly therefrom and then laterally along a line substantially parallel to said wall, the rear edge of the laterally projecting portion of said finger being spaced forwardly of said wall and being longitudinally straight, and an element providing a hard surface spaced forwardly of said finger and substantially parallel to said rear edge of the laterally projecting portion of said finger, said hard surface being disposed exteriorly of said casing and terminating at its forward edge in a tape cutting edge, said tape being adapted to be withdrawn under tension from the periphery of said roll in a longitudinally twisting path leading from said roll to said guide finger, then about the rear of said guide finger with the non-adhesive surface of said tape sliding over said rear edge of the laterally projecting portion of said finger to change the longitudinal direction of the path of said tape substantially 90 degrees, and then forwardly from said guide finger in a path leading over said hard surface with the adhesive coated side of said tape directed toward said hard surface, said hard surface being so positioned that said coated side of said tape will detachably adhere thereto when the withdrawn length of tape is moved into severing contact with said cutting edge, the adherence of said coated side of said tape to said hard surface serving to maintain a portion of said tape in a bridged condition across the space between said guide finger and said hard surface where the bridged portion of said tape may easily be grasped in the fingers when another length of tape is to be withdrawn from said roll.

5. A dispensing device for pressure sensitive adhesive tape of the type having an adhesive coating on one of its sides and a non-adhesive surface on its other side comprising, a casing including an upstanding rear wall, a forwardly projecting hub on the forward side of said rear wall for supporting a roll of said tape within said casing for rotation about an axis normal to the plane of said wall, a tape guide finger on said wall projecting forwardly therefrom below said roll and then laterally along a line substantially normal to the axis of said roll, the rear edge of the laterally projecting portion of said finger being spaced forwardly of said wall and being longitudinally straight, and an element on said wall below said finger projecting forwardly from said wall and then upwardly to provide a hard planar surface spaced forwardly of said finger and substantially parallel to said rear edge of the laterally projecting portion of said finger, said hard surface being disposed exteriorly of said casing and terminating at its forward edge in a tape cutting edge, said tape being adapted to be withdrawn under tension from the periphery of said roll in a longitudinally twisting path leading from said roll to said guide finger, then about the rear of said guide finger with the non-adhesive surface of said tape sliding over said rear edge of the laterally projecting portion of said finger to change the longitudinal direction of the path of said tape substantially degrees, and then forwardly from said guide finger in a path leading over said hard surface with the adhesive coated side of said tape directed toward said hard surface, said hard surface being so positioned that said coated side of said tape will detachably adhere thereto when the withdrawn length of tape is moved into severing contact with said cutting edge, the adherence of said coated side of said tape to said hard surface serving to maintain a portion of said tape in a bridged condition across the space between said guide finger and said hard surface where the bridged portion of said tape may easily be grasped in the fingers when another length of tape is to be withdrawn from said roll.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5, including a cover on said casing enclosing said roll and the path of said tape leading from said roll to said finger, said cover being readily removable from said casing to permit easy mounting of said roll on said hub and threading of said tape behind said finger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,892,544 Wanders Dec. 27, 1932 2,181,808 Goldsmith Nov. 28, 1939 2,275,408 Alliss Mar. 10, 1942 2,324,204 Fischer July 13, 1943 2,476,593 Gerbing July 19, 1949 2,701,692 Guyer Feb. 8, 1955 2,710,152 Jones June 7, 1955 2,792,184 Kresser May 14, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,601 Sweden Dec. 18, 1906 

